Megan Sealy had her retirement plans all figured out. After raising five children and spending years in the teaching service, she had decided to spend her time with her husband, puttering around at home and travelling. But Megan soon learnt that life doesn’t always go the way you plan. Soon after retiring her husband became ill and died and she found herself charting a different course, one that she hadn’t planned for.
“I had always planned to retire at 55 and I retired in 2003, but then my husband died in 2004,” she recalled. “He was ailing a little bit before.”
Now having to reinvent herself, Megan was content to spend the time picking up her grandchildren. But then Pastor Holmes Williams who worked in the same district as Megan’s husband, who was also a pastor, had a very good working relationship, made her an offer.
“He said: “You’re going to stay at home and think about his death so why don’t you come and help out. So that’s how I came here (People’s Cathedral) in place of a lady who was pregnant. I stayed for one year and a term.’”
Teaching at People’s Cathedral came as something new to Megan who had always taught older children in secondary schools like Ellerslie, Combermere, and St Michael’s.
“It’s a vast difference teaching younger children,” she said. “I came here for a year and a term and then I decided to stop. They wanted to give me Class Three but I thought that would be too much. So I was home spending time with my grandchildren and then Pastor Williams called me when the school and the church had a split.”
After being persuaded by Pastor Williams once more Megan found herself back at People’s Cathedral School. In her new role as Deputy Principal she found herself drawing on her cumulative teaching and administrative experience particularly that from her years at St. Michael’s.
“It was a challenge but I found that my organizational skills really helped me a lot,” Megan said. “My idea is to fulfil the duty they’ve called me to do. I don’t back down from a challenge and I think we are doing very well. I just told myself you have accepted this responsibility so you have to do all that’s in your power to make it work.” Now two years later both Megan and the school are thriving. At age 60 she has set out to accomplish much of what she wanted in her life. As a mother she wanted six children, though she had five biological children, she did raise a goddaughter.
Megan admits that teaching and raising five children wasn’t easy, which accounted for her leaving the profession after her son, the last child was born. “It was becoming a bit too much for me,” she said. “I stayed home for three years with my son. But by the time he was three I was ready to go back. But it was always my plan to retire at 55 because my life had always been packed and I wanted some enjoyment for myself and my husband.”
Though teaching and parenting went hand in hand on many levels, she admits it was difficult as a working mother and empathises with parents today.
“I would say that it is more difficult being a working mother now,” she admits. “Raising my children was a breeze, partly because I was teaching so everything was about children and I was able to manage them. Discipline and planning have been my strong points. If you train your children well and don’t have problems with behaviour, and if you’re organized it really helps. But a lot of people just get up on morning without any planning. The general thing of parenthood I find that some people aren’t as committed as they should be. People want to rear their children but they want to go out and have a good time. I missed out on a lot of things bringing up my children but I can do whatever I want to do now. You have to make a sacrifice.”
Megan admits she has reaped the benefits of those sacrifices with her children who are all grown up now and charting their own lives.
“They try to make sure that I am comfortable and they will go the extra mile for me,” she said. “They knew that I did my best for them.”
